The Best of Nathan East

With over 2000 recordings to his name, Nathan East is one of the most recorded bass players ever. From work with Eric Clapton, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson and many more, his incredible style, presence and tone has helped to shape bass playing over the last 40 years.

With such a wealth of material to choose from, selecting his best work was not an easy task. I've opted for 12 tracks that show his adeptness over many styles, including rock, pop, jazz, funk and blues which help to show why he's one of the most important studio bassists around. East's version of Sir Duke is particularly impressive, showcasing his expertise with groove, melodies and an exceptional solo. You can find a video of him playing it live here.

This is a really special one, it contains 12 of Paul Simon's greatest hits, spanning from his early single Mother and Child Reunion through to four tracks from 1986's Graceland - featuring incredible fretless bass playing from Bakithi Kumalo. Also included are performances from Anthony Jackson, Tony Levin, David Hood, Jackie Jackson, Russell George and Bob Cranshaw. Such amazing playing deserves accurate transcriptions, so I've spent a lot of time detailing every note, technique and overdub. I'm really happy with the end result.

The book is priced at $7.99 and can be purchased here. Here's a short YouTube preview.

Track List

Mother and Child ReunionMe and Julio Down by the SchoolyardKodachromeAmerican TuneStill Crazy After All These Years50 Ways to Leave Your LoverSlip Slidin' AwayLate in the EveningThe Boy in the BubbleGracelandDiamonds on the Soles of Her ShoesYou Can Call Me Al

The Best of Alberto Rigoni

After a month of collaboration, I am really excited to announce my latest book: The Best of Alberto Rigoni.

Alberto Rigoni is an Italian bass player and composer who rapidly gained audience in the international music scene thanks to his modern and fresh sound, far away from any well known music cliché. His solo albums (Something Different, Rebirth, Three Wise Monkeys and Overloaded, worldwide released between 2008 and 2014), between progressive rock metal and fusion, also feature legendary musicians such as Kevin Moore (ex Dream Theater), Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson), Göran Edman (ex Yngwie Malmsteen), Michael Manring and many others.

Alberto has been featured on the cover of magazines such as Bass Magazine Japan, Bass Musician Magazine and Bajos Y Bajistas. Moreover, On March 2015 the prestigious Bass Guitar Magazine (UK) released Alberto’s CD anthology called “Into THE BASS”.

The book includes songs from throughout his career such as 2008's BASSex, 2012's Kikazaru and Bass Guy, released next month.

Sorry to Hear You're a Bassist

Southampton held it's first bass event last night at The Art House Cafe, aptly titled Sorry to Hear You're a Bassist.. The venue was host to some incredible bass players - A Ninja Slob Drew Me, BassDbler, Grant Sharkey and Steve Lawson. If you haven't already checked these guys out, I strongly suggest you do! Solo bass is in a very good position at the moment, and each of these performances displayed the variety you can get out of our instrument.

I was there with a collection of books and mailing list sign-up form, so if you're now receiving this as a result - thank you!

Elvis Presley & Bob Dylan

Every time I write a book, I try and focus on artists that are under-represented by bass books that are already published. Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley definitely fit the bill. They have sold 250 million records between them and some of the songs in these books are amongst the highest ever charting songs.

Each book has a variety of bass players as the Elvis and Dylan moved through their careers, and I’ve tried to document the positioning and technique as accurately as possible.

Click on the covers below to take a closer look, and as ever I'd love to hear how you get on with them.